CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Penn State softball opens the 2023 postseason at the Big Ten Tournament this week, as the Nittany Lions head to Eichelberger Field on the campus of the University of Illinois. The seventh-seeded Blue & White open the tournament in the first round against 10th-seeded Michigan on Wednesday, May 10, with first pitch slated for 2:30 p.m. (ET).
GAME INFORMATION
To find a complete list of tournament information, purchase tickets or learn more about the Urbana-Champaign area, click the link here to access the Big Ten's 2023 Tournament Central webpage. Click here to access the Tournament Central webpage provided by the University of Illinois.
#7 Penn State vs. #10 Michigan | Wednesday, May 10 | 2:30 p.m. ET | BTN | Live Stats
#7 Penn State vs. #2 Indiana* | Thursday, May 11 | 2:30 p.m. ET | BTN | Live Stats
#7 Penn State vs. B1G Semifinal* | Friday, May 12 | 6 p.m. ET | BTN | Live Stats
#7 Penn State vs. B1G Championship* | Saturday, May 13 | 4 p.m. ET | BTN | Live Stats
* - Denotes that game will be played if necessary
QUICK HITS
Penn State enters the postseason following its fourth straight Big Ten series victory over Purdue. The Nittany Lions will participate in the Big Ten Tournament as the league's seven-seed and will open the tournament in the first round against 10th-seeded Michigan. In their last 12 games, the Nittany Lions have racked up a whopping 10 wins, with nine of those wins coming against Big Ten challengers. PSU went 4-2 on the road in that stretch and 6-0 at home on Beard Field.
Junior third baseman Emily Maddock leads the offense with an astonishing .456 batting average overall coupled with a .479 mark against Big Ten opponents. Her batting average against B1G foes leads all 114 qualified league batters. The Nittany Lion pitching staff is the class of the Big Ten Conference, booking a league-leading ERA of 2.15 this season. Bailey Parshall (1.46) and Kylee Lingenfelter (2.13) rank second and ninth in the league, respectively.
PENN STATE'S B1G TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Nittany Lions prepare for their 16th appearance in the Big Ten Tournament all-time and their second consecutive. PSU owns a 14-19 overall record in the event since its first appearance in the 1999 campaign, good enough for a .424-win percentage. Penn State booked its best finish at the B1G Tournament in 2000, 2002 and 2016, reaching the semifinal round of the event. The Nittany Lions booked their first postseason appearance in three years last season, advancing past Indiana in extra innings before falling to eventual-champion Nebraska in the quarterfinal round at Secchia Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
INTRODUCING THE 2023 FIELD
Penn State joins 11 other Big Ten softball programs as a part of this year's 12-team field. The regular season champion Northwestern Wildcats enter the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, followed by the breakout Indiana Hoosiers as the tournament's No. 2 seed. Minnesota utilized a late season push to surge up to the No. 3 seed, while defending tournament champion Nebraska seeks to repeat after earning the No. 4 slot. Wednesday's first round matchups feature No. 5 Wisconsin against No. 12 Illinois, No. 6 Ohio State against No. 11 Rutgers, No. 7 Penn State against No. 10 Michigan and No. 8 Maryland against No. 9 Iowa. Against the 2023 B1G Tournament field, Penn State owns a 9-10 overall record with a signature win against the third-seeded Golden Gophers.
THINKING THIRTY
Following Penn State's series win on the road over Purdue, the Nittany Lions improved to 30-15 overall in the 2023 campaign, booking the fifth-best winning percentage in the Big Ten in the process. PSU met the 30-win threshold for the second straight season, coupling this year's ledger with a 32-22 mark a year ago. This two-year stretch marks the first back-to-back instance of 30-win seasons at Penn State since 2005-06. In its 58-year history, the 2023 Nittany Lions became the 14th team to reach the 30-win mark.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
First-year head coach and longtime Michigan employee Bonnie Tholl leads the Wolverines into the Big Ten Tournament with a 26-24 overall record and a 10-13 mark against B1G competition. The Wolverines enter the tournament as the No. 10 overall seed and will look to replicate a 2022 run that saw Michigan reach the Big Ten Championship game. Michigan is led on the field by graduate outfielder Lexie Blair, who boasts a .353 average with 47 hits and 28 RBI. In the circle, Lauren Derkowski leads the way with a 2.11 ERA and an 18-13 overall record, making her responsible as the pitcher of record in 31 of Michigan's 50 games.
SERIES HISTORY
The Nittany Lions and Wolverines get set for the 85th all-time meeting in a series that dates to the 1992 campaign. Michigan maintains a 76-8 record against Penn State in the series, with the Blue & White taking the most recent meeting on the road in Ann Arbor on April 10, 2022. Penn State and Michigan will face off for the eighth time in Big Ten Tournament competition, with the Wolverines managing victories in all seven prior contests. The most recent meeting in the 2016 tournament saw Michigan book a 6-1 win over PSU in University Park.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Twitter and Instagram @PennStateSB.
